While iOS already has a place in the corporate world, that spot isn't guaranteed when there's competition with both a renewed BlackBerry and Samsung's Knox. Accordingly, Apple isn't leaving anything to chance: it just posted a page explaining the business-friendly iOS 7 features that it teased at WWDC. The biggest improvements for end users may be enterprise single sign-on and per app VPN, both of which will save hassles when launching work apps. IT managers should have it easier as well -- iOS devices can join Mobile Device Management as soon as they're activated, and a company can assign apps to individual users without losing control. There's considerably more features than we can list here, but it's clear from a cursory glimpse that Apple likes its foothold in the enterprise.
Symptoms of Prader-Willi syndrome associated with interference in circadian, metabolic genesPublic release date: 25-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Phyllis Brown phyllis.brown@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu 916-734-9023 University of California - Davis Health System
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) Researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute and Agilent Laboratories have found that Prader-Willi syndrome a genetic disorder best known for causing an insatiable appetite that can lead to morbid obesity is associated with the loss of non-coding RNAs, resulting in the dysregulation of circadian and metabolic genes, accelerated energy expenditure and metabolic differences during sleep.
The research was led by Janine LaSalle, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology who is affiliated with the MIND Institute. It is published online in Human Molecular Genetics.
"Prader-Willi syndrome children do not sleep as well at night and have daytime sleepiness," LaSalle said. "Parents have to lock up their pantries because the kids are rummaging for food in the middle of the night, even breaking into their neighbors' houses to eat."
The study found that these behaviors are rooted in the loss of a long non-coding RNA that functions to balance energy expenditure in the brain during sleep. The finding could have a profound effect on how clinicians treat children with Prader-Willi, as well as point the way to new, innovative therapies, LaSalle said.
The leading cause of morbid obesity among children in the United States, Prader-Willi involves a complex, and sometimes contradictory, array of symptoms. Shortly after birth children with Prader-Willi experience failure to thrive. Yet after they begin to feed themselves, they have difficulty sleeping and insatiable appetites that lead to obesity if their diets are not carefully monitored.
The current study was conducted in a mouse model of Prader-Willi syndrome. It found that mice engineered with the loss of a long non-coding RNA showed altered energy use and metabolic differences during sleep.
Prader-Willi has been traced to a specific region on chromosome 15 (SNORD116), which produces RNAs that regulate gene expression, rather than coding for proteins. When functioning normally, SNORD116 produces small nucleolar (sno) RNAs and a long non-coding RNA (116HG), as well as a third non-coding RNA implicated in a related disorder, Angelman syndrome. The 116HG long non-coding RNA forms a cloud inside neuronal nuclei that associates with proteins and genes regulating diurnal metabolism in the brain, LaSalle said.
"We thought the cloud would be activating transcription, but in fact it was doing the opposite," she said. "Most of the genes were dampened by the cloud. This long non-coding RNA was acting as a decoy, pulling the active transcription factors away from genes and keeping them from being expressed."
As a result, losing snoRNAs and 116HG causes a chain reaction, eliminating the RNA cloud and allowing circadian and metabolic genes to get turned on during sleep periods, when they should be dampened down. This underlies a complex cycle in which the RNA cloud grew during sleep periods (daytime for nocturnal mice), turning down genes associated with energy use, and receded during waking periods, allowing these genes to be expressed. Mice without the 116HG gene lacked the benefit of this neuronal cloud, causing greater energy expenditure during sleep.
The researchers said that the work provides a clearer picture of why children with Prader-Willi syndrome can't sleep or feel satiated and may change therapeutic approaches. For example, many such children have been treated with growth hormone because of short stature, but this actually may boost other aspects of the disease.
"People had thought the kids weren't sleeping at night because of the sleep apnea caused by obesity," said LaSalle. "What this study shows is that the diurnal metabolism is central to the disorder, and that the obesity may be as a result of that. If you can work with that, you could improve therapies, for example figuring out the best times to administer medications."
###
The study's other study authors include Weston T. Powell, Rochelle L. Coulson, Florence K. Crary, Spencer S. Wong, Robert A. Ach and Dag H. Yasui, all of UC Davis, and Peter Tsang and N. Alice Yamada of Agilent Laboratories.
The work was funded by National Institutes of Health grants F31NS073164 and 1R01NS076263 and the Prader-Willi Foundation.
At the UC Davis MIND Institute, world-renowned scientists engage in collaborative, interdisciplinary research to find the causes of and develop treatments and cures for autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), fragile X syndrome, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, Down syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders. For more information, visit http://mindinstitute.ucdavis.edu.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Symptoms of Prader-Willi syndrome associated with interference in circadian, metabolic genesPublic release date: 25-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Phyllis Brown phyllis.brown@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu 916-734-9023 University of California - Davis Health System
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) Researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute and Agilent Laboratories have found that Prader-Willi syndrome a genetic disorder best known for causing an insatiable appetite that can lead to morbid obesity is associated with the loss of non-coding RNAs, resulting in the dysregulation of circadian and metabolic genes, accelerated energy expenditure and metabolic differences during sleep.
The research was led by Janine LaSalle, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology who is affiliated with the MIND Institute. It is published online in Human Molecular Genetics.
"Prader-Willi syndrome children do not sleep as well at night and have daytime sleepiness," LaSalle said. "Parents have to lock up their pantries because the kids are rummaging for food in the middle of the night, even breaking into their neighbors' houses to eat."
The study found that these behaviors are rooted in the loss of a long non-coding RNA that functions to balance energy expenditure in the brain during sleep. The finding could have a profound effect on how clinicians treat children with Prader-Willi, as well as point the way to new, innovative therapies, LaSalle said.
The leading cause of morbid obesity among children in the United States, Prader-Willi involves a complex, and sometimes contradictory, array of symptoms. Shortly after birth children with Prader-Willi experience failure to thrive. Yet after they begin to feed themselves, they have difficulty sleeping and insatiable appetites that lead to obesity if their diets are not carefully monitored.
The current study was conducted in a mouse model of Prader-Willi syndrome. It found that mice engineered with the loss of a long non-coding RNA showed altered energy use and metabolic differences during sleep.
Prader-Willi has been traced to a specific region on chromosome 15 (SNORD116), which produces RNAs that regulate gene expression, rather than coding for proteins. When functioning normally, SNORD116 produces small nucleolar (sno) RNAs and a long non-coding RNA (116HG), as well as a third non-coding RNA implicated in a related disorder, Angelman syndrome. The 116HG long non-coding RNA forms a cloud inside neuronal nuclei that associates with proteins and genes regulating diurnal metabolism in the brain, LaSalle said.
"We thought the cloud would be activating transcription, but in fact it was doing the opposite," she said. "Most of the genes were dampened by the cloud. This long non-coding RNA was acting as a decoy, pulling the active transcription factors away from genes and keeping them from being expressed."
As a result, losing snoRNAs and 116HG causes a chain reaction, eliminating the RNA cloud and allowing circadian and metabolic genes to get turned on during sleep periods, when they should be dampened down. This underlies a complex cycle in which the RNA cloud grew during sleep periods (daytime for nocturnal mice), turning down genes associated with energy use, and receded during waking periods, allowing these genes to be expressed. Mice without the 116HG gene lacked the benefit of this neuronal cloud, causing greater energy expenditure during sleep.
The researchers said that the work provides a clearer picture of why children with Prader-Willi syndrome can't sleep or feel satiated and may change therapeutic approaches. For example, many such children have been treated with growth hormone because of short stature, but this actually may boost other aspects of the disease.
"People had thought the kids weren't sleeping at night because of the sleep apnea caused by obesity," said LaSalle. "What this study shows is that the diurnal metabolism is central to the disorder, and that the obesity may be as a result of that. If you can work with that, you could improve therapies, for example figuring out the best times to administer medications."
###
The study's other study authors include Weston T. Powell, Rochelle L. Coulson, Florence K. Crary, Spencer S. Wong, Robert A. Ach and Dag H. Yasui, all of UC Davis, and Peter Tsang and N. Alice Yamada of Agilent Laboratories.
The work was funded by National Institutes of Health grants F31NS073164 and 1R01NS076263 and the Prader-Willi Foundation.
At the UC Davis MIND Institute, world-renowned scientists engage in collaborative, interdisciplinary research to find the causes of and develop treatments and cures for autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), fragile X syndrome, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, Down syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders. For more information, visit http://mindinstitute.ucdavis.edu.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Edward Snowden may now be far from Hong Kong, but the South China Morning Post has just revealed more details from an interview he granted on June 12th while he was still there. According to the paper, Snowden reportedly said that he took a job with NSA-contractor Booz Allen Hamilton in order to gather additional evidence about the spy agency's activities. "My position with Booz Allen Hamilton granted me access to lists of machines all over the world the NSA hacked," he said. "That is why I accepted that position about three months ago." He reportedly further said "correct on Booz," when asked if he specifically went to Booz Allen to gather evidence of surveillance. As the paper notes, Snowden also said that he took pay cuts "in the course of pursuing specific work" in an online Q&A with The Guardian last week, and he's also indicated that he has more information he intends to leak, saying that he'd like to "make it available to journalists in each country to make their own assessment."
JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? The South African presidency says the health condition of Nelson Mandela has become critical.
The office of President Jacob Zuma said that the president had visited the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader on Sunday evening and was informed by the medical team that Mandela's condition had become critical in the past 24 hours.
Zuma says in a statement that the doctors are "doing everything possible to get his condition to improve."
Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president after the end of apartheid in 1994, was hospitalized on June 8 for what the government said was a recurring lung infection.
HONG KONG (AP) ? A former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday.
Hong Kong's government did not identify the country. Snowden, who has been in hiding in Hong Kong for several weeks since he revealed information on the highly classified spy programs, has talked of seeking asylum in Iceland.
However, Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency cited an unidentified Aeroflot official as saying Snowden would fly from Moscow to Cuba on Monday and then on to Caracas, Venezuela. The WikiLeaks anti-secrecy group tweeted that Snowden was "over Russian air space" and later said in a statement he was bound for an unnamed "democratic nation via a safe route for the purpose of asylum."
The White House had no immediate comment about the departure, which came a day after the United States made a formal request for his extradition and gave a pointed warning to Hong Kong against delaying the process of returning him to face trial in the U.S.
The Department of Justice said only that it would "continue to discuss this matter with Hong Kong and pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel."
The Hong Kong government said in a statement that Snowden left "on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel."
It acknowledged the U.S. extradition request, but said U.S. documentation did not "fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law." It said additional information was requested from Washington, but since the Hong Kong government "has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr. Snowden from leaving Hong Kong."
The statement said Hong Kong had informed the U.S. of Snowden's departure. It added that it wanted more information about alleged hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by U.S. government agencies which Snowden had revealed.
WikiLeaks said it was providing legal help to Snowden at his request and that he was being escorted by diplomats and legal advisors from the group. Its founder, Julian Assange, who has spent a year inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning about sex crime allegations, told the Sydney Morning Herald that his organization is in a position to help because it has expertise in international asylum and extradition law.
Snowden's departure eliminates a possible fight between Washington and Beijing at a time when China is trying to deflect U.S. accusations that it carries out extensive surveillance of American government and commercial operations. Hong Kong, a former British colony, has a high degree of autonomy and is granted rights and freedoms not seen on mainland China, but under the city's mini constitution Beijing is allowed to intervene in matters involving defense and diplomatic affairs.
Hong Kong has an extradition treaty with the U.S., but the document has some exceptions, including for crimes deemed political.
The Obama administration on Saturday warned Hong Kong against delaying Snowden's extradition, with White House national security adviser Tom Donilon saying in an interview with CBS News, "Hong Kong has been a historically good partner of the United States in law enforcement matters, and we expect them to comply with the treaty in this case."
Snowden's departure came as the South China Morning Post released new allegations from Snowden that U.S. hacking targets in China included the nation's cellphone companies and two universities hosting extensive Internet traffic hubs.
He told the newspaper that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data." It added that Snowden said he had documents to support the hacking allegations, but the report did not identify the documents. It said he spoke to the newspaper in a June 12 interview.
With a population of more than 1.3 billion, China has massive cellphone companies. China Mobile is the world's largest mobile network carrier with 735 million subscribers, followed by China Unicom with 258 million users and China Telecom with 172 million users.
Snowden said Tsinghua University in Beijing and Chinese University in Hong Kong, home of some of the country's major Internet traffic hubs, were targets of extensive hacking by U.S. spies this year. He said the NSA was focusing on so-called "network backbones" in China, through which enormous amounts of Internet data passes.
The Chinese government has not commented on the extradition request and Snowden's departure, but its state-run media have used Snowden's allegations to poke back at Washington after the U.S. had spent the past several months pressuring China on its international spying operations.
A commentary published Sunday by the official Xinhua News Agency said Snowden's disclosures of U.S. spying activities in China have "put Washington in a really awkward situation."
"Washington should come clean about its record first. It owes ... an explanation to China and other countries it has allegedly spied on," it said. "It has to share with the world the range, extent and intent of its clandestine hacking programs."
____
Sylvia Hui in London and Lynn Berry in Moscow contributed to this report.
MOSCOW (AP) ? Russian law enforcement officers have forcibly evicted the head of one of Russia's leading human rights organizations and about a half dozen staff from their Moscow office.
Lev Ponomaryov, who heads the For Human Rights group, said in an interview on Radio Liberty on Saturday that he was beaten on the head and kidneys during the early morning raid.
Russia's human rights ombudsman says the group was evicted illegally from the city-owned property. The U.S. group Freedom House condemns the "violent assault" on the non-governmental organization and calls on the international community to "register its strong opposition to such thuggish tactics."
Hundreds of Russian non-governmental organizations have been raided in recent months as part of President Vladimir Putin's crackdown on dissent following unprecedented street protests last year.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The former National Security Agency contractor who disclosed a highly classified surveillance program has had his U.S. passport revoked, an official said Sunday.
Edward Snowden's passport was annulled before he left Hong Kong for Russia and while that could complicate his travel plans, the lack of a passport alone could not thwart his plans, the U.S. official said. If a senior official in another country or with an airline orders it, a country could overlook the withdrawn passport, the official said.
The U.S. official would only discuss the passport on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the matter.
Snowden's allies said he was heading toward Ecuador, where the foreign minister said the government had received a request for asylum.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki refused to comment on Snowden's passport specifically but said individuals facing arrest warrants could have their passport withdrawn.
"Such a revocation does not affect citizenship status. Persons wanted on felony charges, such as Mr. Snowden, should not be allowed to proceed in any further international travel other than is necessary to return him to the United States," Psaki said in a statement.
The State Department said the United States was in touch, through diplomatic and law enforcement channels, with countries that Snowden might travel through or to.
Snowden, a CIA technician and former NSA contractor, helped The Guardian and The Washington Post to disclose surveillance programs that collects vast amounts of online data and email, sometimes sweeping up information on ordinary American citizens. Officials have the ability to collect phone and Internet information broadly but need a warrant to examine specific cases where they believe terrorism is involved.
Since news organizations began publishing reports based on Snowden's disclosures, he had been in hiding in Hong Kong, a former British colony with a high degree of autonomy from mainland China. The United States formally sought Snowden's extradition from Hong Kong but was rebuffed; Hong Kong officials said the U.S. request did not fully comply with their laws.
Snowden was said to have landed in Moscow on Sunday but was not seen leaving the airport.
Storms that pummeled the northern Plains and Upper Midwest on Friday left at least one person dead and two other people injured, including one hit by lighting, officials said.
In South Dakota, severe winds damaged homes and killed a 63-year-old woman as she sheltered in a bathtub in the community of Lake Poinsett north of Sioux Falls, Hamlin County Sheriff Chad Schlotterbeck said. Her husband was injured and taken to a hospital.
Another person was struck by lightning and injured during the storm in the city of Lake Norden, Schlotterbeck said. He said numerous homes were damaged by what were believed to be straight-line winds but a count was not possible after darkness fell. "The power's out and we've suspended all operations until the morning," he said.
At least four tornadoes were seen sweeping through rural areas of Nebraska?s southern Panhandle, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
Storm watchers reportedly spotted a twister and golf-ball-sized hail in the city of Sidney on Friday afternoon, the newspaper reported. There were similar sightings in the cities of Colton, Brownson and Potter.
Parts of southern Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin were under flash flood watches early Saturday, the National Weather Service said. In St. Croix County, Wisc., 1.5 inches of rain in 40 minutes was reported, the Weather Service said.
The Upper Midwest may be due for a weekend of heavy rainfall, according to Dr. Greg Forbes, a severe weather expert with The Weather Channel.
Reading the reports of a million demonstrators in streets of Brazillian cities this past week, it is hard not to think of my own city.
Protesters chanted, ?When your son is ill, take him to the stadium.?
And, ?Any good teacher is worth more than Neymar,? in reference to the Brazillian soccer star.
And my favorite.???The people, united, are a gigantic bunch of dudes.?
Money on sports stadiums instead of schools?
Wait. Are we talking about Sao Paulo or Chicago?
Our protests haven?t numbered in the millions.
But neither did the protests in Sao Paulo and Rio.
Until last week.
Perfect storms of outrage are hard to predict.
Just ask Michael Bilandic.
Or Jane Byrne for that matter.
And then there is the phony outrage of the media.
When CTU President Karen Lewis gave a speech to the City Club of Chicago last week she had the chutzpah to suggest that education decisions are being made by rich white people who have no connection to the working and middle class white people or the majority of minority kids who go to CPS.
?She?s playing the race card!?
Holy shit! Not the race card.
The nerve of Lewis for mentioning that race is an issue in ? of all places ? Chicago.
And just to prove the point, a few days later Rahm appointed a rich white person to the CPS board to replace the rich white person who left to go work for President Obama.
Sometimes you want to view or edit a document on your smartphone.? I’ve found a couple of apps that allow you to do just that: CloudOn and Kingsoft Office.? They have a lot in common: they’re both free, they both offer a wealth of features, they both connect to your cloud accounts, and they are [...]
FILE - In this May 15, 2007 file photo, James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. The White House says President Barack Obama plans to announce Friday his new choice to lead the FBI in Comey, former President George W. Bush's No. 2 at the Justice Department. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
FILE - In this May 15, 2007 file photo, James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. The White House says President Barack Obama plans to announce Friday his new choice to lead the FBI in Comey, former President George W. Bush's No. 2 at the Justice Department. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama has named James Comey to be the new FBI director. Comey was the No. 2 Justice Department official under Republican President George W. Bush.
Obama says Comey is a model of "fierce independence and deep integrity."
Comey gained attention for blocking efforts by the Bush White House to reauthorize a no-warrant wiretapping program in 2004.
If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace Robert Mueller and serve a 10-year tenure.
Obama says Mueller displayed a "steady hand and strong leadership" during his time at the head of the FBI.
Chase Tapley shrugs. He has no illusions about his prospects in the upcoming NBA Draft. He smiles. He has no problem with the possibility of playing overseas. He laughs. He anticipates auditioning again next month at the Las Vegas Summer League and pushing, again and again, for the upset.
He wants a job.
He wants a chance.
"Shooting guard, point guard, backup shooting guard and point guard," the San Diego State senior said after working out Wednesday for the Kings. "I'll do anything it takes."
If necessary - if it meant earning an NBA paycheck - the former Sacramento High standout would hold his nose and forgive the Lakers. That would be a tough one, though. Tapley's favorite player was Chris Webber and his favorite color was purple. His worst memory of Sleep Train Arena is Game 7 of Kings-Lakers, 2002.
His fondest recollection? That remains epic.
In the CIF Division III state championship between Sac High and Santa Margarita in 2008, Tapley and Klay Thompson erupted for 35 points and 37 points, respectively, scoring in every conceivable manner. Three's from the corners. Jumpers from the wings. Layups in transition. Offensive rebounds. They answered field goal for field goal, until finally, the visitors strolled out of the building with the title.
A few months later, the 6-foot-3 Tapley committed to play for Steve Fisher - Webber's former coach - at San Diego State.
"A lot of people were surprised that I didn't go the Pac-10," the former Dragons standout recalled, "but coach Fisher stuck with me when I broke my leg (sophomore season). He was the only one who came to the hospital to see me. I never forgot that."
Tapley was more than grateful; in some respects, his four college seasons were transformational. Fisher can sell more than the San Diego climate when he recruits these days, partly because of contributions from Tapley and former Aztec Kawhi Leonard.
This past season alone, the Aztecs, who begged for relevance and attention during the pre-Fisher era, sold out every home game. Tapley, who became the first player in school history to compete in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, experienced other firsts as well. True story: The summer before his sophomore season, he and Leonard donned wetsuits and enrolled in a kayak/surfing class.
"We were at the beach every day," he said, laughing. "It was pretty crazy. Some day we're going to look back and say, 'Man, can you believe we took surfing?' All that water ... and I never could stand up on the board."
As Fisher noted during a cell phone conversation later Wednesday, his adventuresome little guard was considerably more accomplished with a basketball. Tapley earned a starting position within a matter of months. He formed a potent combination with the 6-9 Leonard, now a star with the San Antonio Spurs, overcame a broken hand, and continued adapting to various roles, lineups, expectations.
"Chase helped us become a team that sometimes is talked about as a top-10 program," said Fisher, "and he improved every year. If you start looking around for someone who will do whatever a coach asks - set screens, take a foul - and who can catch and shoot with the best of them, that's Chase. And he's just a terrific young man."
Maturity has never been an issue. Even as a teen, Tapley seemed more like an adult. Today, he speaks openly about the responsibility of co-parenting his nine-month-old son, Cayden, with Aztecs basketball player Kiyana Stamps, while completing his sociology degree and matching Leonard's gym-rat reputation.
Admittedly, though, Tapley, whose thin beard only enhances his soft, boyish features, could never be confused with Adonis. "He needs to chisel himself up," noted Fisher, "and he has to continue to grow. He's not a point guard. His ball skills can get better. But everybody in today's world is looking for guys like Danny Green."
In a quiet moment Wednesday, Tapley, who is omitted from most mock drafts, glanced around the practice facility and smiled. He will travel anywhere for work, but it felt good to be home. Like other Kings fans, he remembers where he was (in his apartment) and how he heard that the team was staying.
"I was on Facebook," he said, "and I was like 'Yes!' I would have been so sad if the Kings left. They have always been a big part of my life."
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